Larry King Panel On HIV: Transgender Women 49 Times More Likely To Be Positive

By

On Top Magazine Staff

|
October 13, 2015

Larry King Now this week hosted
a panel of experts to discuss HIV in America.

Appearing on the Emmy-nominated series
were Jake Glaser, spokesman for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS
Foundation, Christopher Brown, director of health and mental services
for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Sheryl Lee Ralph, entertainer and
founder of the Divinely Inspired Victoriously AIDS Aware (DIVA)
Foundation and Diane Anderson-Minshall, editor-in-chief at The
Advocate.

“Transgender women are 49 times more
likely than the general population to be HIV-positive,”
Anderson-Minshall stated.

“Do we know why?” host Larry King
asked.

“Because of lack of access to care,
institutionalized transphobia and homophobia that keeps them out of
employment, so many have had to resort to survival sex for money or
for housing. Some have used all their money to pay for
transition-related care, and so they don't have money for treatment.
And then there's a lot of stuff again about discrimination and racism
that really keeps those people disconnected from care,” she
answered.

Brown explained that Pre-Exposure
Prophylaxis (PrEP), commonly known as Truvada, can be highly
effective at preventing HIV transmission.

“The challenge we see with PrEP is
often associated with out-of-pocket costs,” Brown said.

Glaser dismissed concerns that people
on Truvada would take more sexual risks.

“I think through studies and what we
found that's not the case at all. And I think it's reflective as
well as the Morning After pill, and there's opportunity here to arm
people with ...”

“Birth control,” Anderson-Minshall
injected.

The panel added that the stigma around
HIV/AIDS was growing and that the cost of HIV drugs remained
“extremely high.”